BODY: A monster-collecting franchise that's a household name in China is making a serious play for Japanese players—and it arrived in Tokyo with voice-actor star power in tow.
Morefun Studios, a studio under Tencent Games, has announced that Roco Kingdom will hold its first-ever closed beta test in Japan starting October 27. Ahead of that milestone, the company hosted a press announcement and hands-on preview event for Japanese media on September 21 at Bellesalle Shibuya First.
Roco Kingdom is a creature-collecting RPG built around exploring a fantasy world and taming its inhabitants—a genre with deep resonance in Japan, the birthplace of Pokémon and its countless successors. Bringing the title to Japanese audiences signals Tencent's continued ambition to localize its blockbuster properties for one of gaming's most demanding and discerning markets.
To mark the occasion, the event welcomed voice actors KENN and Aina Aiba to the stage. Both are established names in Japan's anime and gaming scene, and their appearance underscores how seriously Morefun is investing in a Japan-specific presentation, complete with local voice talent and a tailored rollout rather than a simple regional port.
The insider take
From Tokyo, the timing here is telling. Chinese publishers have spent years cracking Japan's notoriously loyalty-driven market, and the winning formula has become clear: recruit recognizable seiyū, court the gaming press with in-person hands-on events, and run a closed beta to build word-of-mouth before launch. Booking Bellesalle Shibuya First—a go-to venue for game reveals steps from Shibuya Station—and pairing it with KENN and Aina Aiba is a textbook move. Whether Roco Kingdom can carve out space in a monster-taming genre that Japanese fans practically invented is the real test, but Morefun is clearly playing by the local rulebook.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).